In this episode of 80k After Hours, Luisa Rodriguez and Robert Long have an honest conversation about the challenges of independent research.

Links to learn more, highlights and full transcript.

They cover:

• Assigning probabilities when you’re really uncertain
• Struggles around self-belief and imposter syndrome
• The importance of sharing work even when it feels terrible
• Balancing impact and fun in a job
• And some mistakes researchers often make

Who this episode is for:

• People pursuing independent research
• People who struggle with self-belief
• People who feel a pull towards pursuing a career they don’t actually want

Who this episode isn’t for:

• People convinced that their research is perfect
• Angus Hübelschmidt — the president and sole member of the Rob Wiblin Fan Club who refuses to listen to another Rob speak

You can find their longer conversation on why large language models like GPT (probably) aren't conscious over on the original 80,000 Hours Podcast feed.

Get this episode by subscribing to our more experimental podcast on the world’s most pressing problems and how to solve them: type 80k After Hours into your podcasting app.

Producer: Keiran Harris
Audio mastering: Ben Cordell and Milo McGuire
Transcriptions: Katy Moore

In this episode of 80k After Hours, Perrin Walker reads our career review of China-related AI safety and governance paths.

Here’s the original piece if you’d like to learn more.

You might also want to check out Benjamin Todd and Brian Tse's article on Improving China-Western coordination on global catastrophic risks.

Get this episode by subscribing to our more experimental podcast on the world’s most pressing problems and how to solve them: type 80k After Hours into your podcasting app.

Editing and narration: Perrin Walker
Audio proofing: Katy Moore

In this episode of 80k After Hours, Perrin Walker reads 11 anonymous responses to the question: "if you want to help prevent an AI-related catastrophe, should you be open to roles that also advance AI capabilities, or steer clear of them?"

Here’s the original piece if you’d like to learn more.

You might also want to check out our original anonymous answers series, the highlights of which were released on the original 80,000 Hours Podcast feed.

Get this episode by subscribing to our more experimental podcast on the world’s most pressing problems and how to solve them: type 80k After Hours into your podcasting app.

Editing and narration: Perrin Walker
Audio proofing: Katy Moore

In this episode of 80k After Hours, Perrin Walker reads Benjamin Hilton's problem profile on climate change.

Here’s the original piece if you’d like to learn more.

You might also want to check out CarbonBrief, which has a range of excellent content and updates on climate change.

Get this episode by subscribing to our more experimental podcast on the world’s most pressing problems and how to solve them: type 80k After Hours into your podcasting app.

Editing and narration: Perrin Walker
Audio proofing: Katy Moore

In this episode of 80k After Hours, Rob Wiblin interviews Marcus Davis about Rethink Priorities.

Links to learn more, highlights and full transcript.

They cover:

• Interventions to help wild animal
• Aquatic noise
• Rethink Priorities strategy
• Mistakes that RP has made since it was founded
• Careers in global priorities research
• And the most surprising thing Marcus has learned at RP

Who this episode is for:

• People who want to learn about Rethink Priorities
• People interested in a career in global priorities research
• People open to novel ways to help wild animals

Who this episode isn’t for:

• People who think global priorities research sounds boring
• People who want to host very loud concerts under the sea

Click here to read Rethink Priorities’ Leadership Statement on the FTX situation.

Get this episode by subscribing to our more experimental podcast on the world’s most pressing problems and how to solve them: type ‘80k After Hours’ into your podcasting app. Or read the transcript below.

Producer: Keiran Harris
Audio mastering: Milo McGuire and Ben Cordell
Transcriptions: Katy Moore

In this episode of 80k After Hours, Perrin Walker reads Arden Koehler and Benjamin Hilton's problem profile on preventing catastrophic pandemics.

Here’s the original piece if you’d like to learn more.

You might also want to check out our full profile on Reducing global catastrophic biological risks, by Gregory Lewis.

Get this episode by subscribing to our more experimental podcast on the world’s most pressing problems and how to solve them: type 80k After Hours into your podcasting app.

Editing and narration: Perrin Walker
Audio proofing: Katy Moore

In this episode of 80k After Hours, Rob Wiblin interviews Kuhan Jeyapragasan about effective altruism university groups.

From 2015 to 2020, Kuhan did an undergrad and then a master's in maths and computer science at Stanford — and did a lot to organise and improve the EA group on campus.

Links to learn more, highlights and full transcript.

Rob and Kuhan cover:

• The challenges of making a group appealing and accepting of everyone
• The concrete things Kuhan did to grow the successful Stanford EA group
• Whether local groups are turning off some people who should be interested in effective altruism, and what they could do differently
• Lessons Kuhan learned from Stanford EA
• The Stanford Existential Risks Initiative (SERI)

Who this episode is for:

• People already involved in EA university groups
• People interested in getting involved in EA university groups

Who this episode isn’t for:

• People who’ve never heard of ‘effective altruism groups’
• People who’ve never heard of ‘effective altruism’
• People who’ve never heard of ‘university’

Get this episode by subscribing to our more experimental podcast on the world’s most pressing problems and how to solve them: type ‘80k After Hours’ into your podcasting app. Or read the transcript below.

Producer: Keiran Harris
Audio mastering: Ryan Kessler
Transcriptions: Katy Moore

In this episode of 80k After Hours, Habiba Islam reads Benjamin Todd's career review on founding new projects tackling top problems.

Here’s the original piece if you’d like to learn more.

You might also want to check out these relevant pieces:

• The growth of effective altruism: what does it mean for our priorities and level of ambition? — Benjamin Todd
• Notes on good judgement and how to develop it — Benjamin Todd
• What we learned from a year incubating longtermist entrepreneurship — Rebecca Kagan, Jade Leung, Ben Clifford

Get this episode by subscribing to our more experimental podcast on the world’s most pressing problems and how to solve them: type 80k After Hours into your podcasting app.

Producer: Keiran Harris
Audio mastering: Beppe Rådvik and Ben Cordell

In this episode of 80k After Hours, Rob Wiblin interviews Andrés Jiménez Zorrilla about the Shrimp Welfare Project, which he cofounded in 2021. It's the first project in the world focused on shrimp welfare specifically and now has six full-time staff.

Links to learn more, highlights and full transcript.

They cover:

• The evidence for shrimp sentience
• How farmers and the public feel about shrimp
• The scale of the problem
• What shrimp farming looks like
• The killing process, and other welfare issues
• Shrimp Welfare Project’s strategy
• History of shrimp welfare work
• What it’s like working in India and Vietnam
• How to help

Who this episode is for:

• People who care about animal welfare
• People interested in new and unusual problems
• People open to shrimp sentience

Who this episode isn’t for:

• People who think shrimp couldn’t possibly be sentient
• People who got called ‘shrimp’ a lot in high school and get anxious when they hear the word over and over again

Get this episode by subscribing to our more experimental podcast on the world’s most pressing problems and how to solve them: type ‘80k After Hours’ into your podcasting app. Or read the transcript below.

Producer: Keiran Harris
Audio mastering: Ben Cordell and Ryan Kessler
Transcriptions: Katy Moore

In this episode of 80k After Hours, Fin Moorhouse reads his problem profile on space governance.

Here’s the original piece if you’d like to learn more.

If you want to hear more from Fin, you should check out his podcast Hear This Idea, which showcases new thinking in philosophy, the social sciences, and effective altruism. And you can see a bunch of other things he's up to on his website.

You might also want to check out these relevant pieces:

• Space governance is important, tractable and neglected — Tobias Baumann
• An Informal Review of Space Exploration
• How cost-effective are efforts to detect near-Earth-objects? — Toby Newberry

Get this episode by subscribing to our more experimental podcast on the world’s most pressing problems and how to solve them: type 80k After Hours into your podcasting app.

Producer: Keiran Harris
Audio mastering: Beppe Rådvik and Ben Cordell